


the bounty hunter

by queerauthority



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerauthority/pseuds/queerauthority
Summary: She pursued him relentlessly with the kind of speed, precision, and endurance that Percy knew would be the death of him.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	the bounty hunter

**Author's Note:**

> this is an AU one-shot that focusses on Percy and Annabeth. happy reading! (this work has not been beta'd)

**The Bounty Hunter**

Percy was going too slow. He knew it. He knew he was going too slow, but he just couldn’t go any faster. It wasn’t working. He could see the treeline ahead of him. He was so sure that if he could just get under the cover of the trees, he’d be able to get away from the bounty hunter.

He could hear her running behind him, her breath coming in soft, short gasps. The bounty hunter had found him quicker than usual this time. Her silver armour gleamed in the sun, catching Percy’s eye every time he craned back to look. She pursued him relentlessly with the kind of speed, precision, and endurance that Percy knew would be the death of him.

The bounty hunter had been pursuing Percy for over a year now. Everywhere he went, trying to find a new job or a brand-new start, she found him. Though he had never seen what face lay beneath her shining helmet, he could still see the blonde curls that peeked out from under her armour. He could still hear her ragged breathing. If he really concentrated, Percy could sometimes try to imagine what she looked like under the helmet. But nothing ever seemed right.

He heard something then that almost made him freeze in his tracks. _Water._

With renewed strength, Percy began to pump his legs faster. He leapt over fallen logs, he pushed his way through the trees, trying desperately to reach the water that he could hear gurgling amidst the trees. If he could get near the water, he could overpower her. He could get rid of her. He could _disappear._ This time, he would go somewhere she could never get him.

Rumour had it, there were camps scattered across the country for people like Percy. People born with unnatural powers, who could control parts of the world that normal humans couldn’t. The reward for catching a Power was high; governments and powerful people liked using them as slaves or as secret assassins. That was how bounty hunters like the one chasing him made their living. The average person could live the rest of their life in comfort with the reward for just _one_ Power. Most strived for two or three.

Percy gasped in relief when he saw the water. He leapt for it, seeing the bright river sparkling before him. If he could just get to the water. If he could just _touch_ it.

His fingers dipped into the cool water before she could get him. Percy dove in headfirst and re-emerged with his hands thrusting forward, shooting jets of water right at the bounty hunter. She was blown back into the trees, spluttering and cursing. Percy scrambled out of the water, going for the knife she had dropped as she fell.

Something tight and sharp wound around his ankle. Percy was yanked back from the river, slamming into one of the tree trunks with a groan of pain. All Percy saw was stars as the bounty hunter reeled her lasso back in and stalked toward him. From her back, she unsheathed a large, shining sword. Percy could hear the clink of handcuffs – power-dampening handcuffs – at her hip.

Percy coughed and glared up at the bounty hunter. “At least take your stupid helmet off,” he hissed. “Before you ruin my life.”

“Stop talking,” the bounty hunter said, her voice muffled and distorted under the helmet.

Percy struggled to his feet and ducked away as she tried to grab his wrists to cuff him. He stumbled back, away from the river. “Let me see your face. Let me just see who you are,” he said. “If I’m going to _die_ , I wanna see who’s killing me.”

“You aren’t going to die,” she said.

“I’m a Power,” he spat. “Once you take me in, there will be nothing left for me. I’m as good as dead if you do this to me.”

The bounty hunter paused. Slowly, she slipped her sword back into the sheath on her back. “I’m not like other hunters,” she said quietly. “They have a choice. I don’t.”

“There is always a choice.” Percy stumbled over a root that was sticking out of the ground. With a surprised grunt, he fell back on his hands. He stared up at the bounty hunter, feeling his hair fall into his eyes. It was getting too long; he needed to cut it. It was starting to make him recognizable.

The bounty hunter began to speak, but the sound of noises in the woods around them cut her off. She and Percy spun their heads around to stare in the direction of the noise at the same time. Footprints thudded on the mossy floor and a group of poorly armoured but well-armed people streamed from the trees.

The bounty hunter grabbed her sword, but she was tackled by a girl with choppy brown hair. Percy caught a glimpse of a shining, bronze knife before the bounty hunter and the girl tumbled away into the undergrowth.

“I want this entire area swept and scanned. Weapons out, everybody. Let’s move,” a tall, blond boy ordered. He was gripping a long, shining sword. There was a scar running down his face that tightened when his gaze fell on Percy. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of struggle as the bounty hunter continued fighting the rebel girl. “You okay?” the blond asked Percy.

“Who the hell are you?” Percy demanded.

“My name’s Jason Grace. We’re with the Resistance.”

\--

The Resistance had been looking for Percy for months, according to Jason. He kept Percy away from the other rebels as they climbed onto bikes to go back to the rebel base. As they rode, with Percy gripping onto Jason for dear life, Jason explained that they had been tracking Percy almost as long as the bounty hunter. They’d never managed to find him before she did, not until now.

“My girlfriend, Piper, is the one that actually found you guys,” Jason was saying when they stopped the bikes in front of what looked like a townhouse complex in the suburbs of New York. He ignored Percy’s dubious expression and led them through the gates. The other rebels were already inside. “She’s amazing with our tracking tech. She’s also the one that knocked the bounty hunter out back there.” He grinned, the scar on his face stretching slightly.

“You’ve been _tracking_ me?” Percy repeated.

Jason shrugged. “Every Power gives off an energy source,” he explained as he led Percy down the empty, suburban street. “We track all Powers using satellites. Our friend Leo was the one that came up with the system in the first place, two years back.” Jason’s smile dropped a little. “He was the one in charge of our tech until he went out on a mission with my second in command, Reyna. They didn’t make it back.”

“They died?” Percy whispered.

“We never found out.” Jason stopped in front of one of the houses, his expression grim. He tilted his head to the door. “Come on. We need to get you looked at.”

Percy was suddenly very aware of his bruised, aching body. He had cuts from weeks ago that he had never had time to take care of properly. He nodded and followed Jason into the townhouse, keeping an eye on the hand that rested on the hilt of the other boy’s sword. “So, you’re the only leader of the entire Resistance?” Percy asked.

“The Resistance isn’t as big as it was a few years ago.” Jason led Percy into the kitchen, where there was a young girl waiting for them. She was a few years younger than Percy with dark, curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Hazel. I’m the medic around here.” She nodded to one of the chairs in the mismatched dining area. “Take a seat. Piper told me you have some serious cuts and bruises.”

“I’ve been on the run for a while now,” Percy said, sitting down slowly.

“Piper’s back?” Jason asked.

“She’s upstairs,” Hazel said, rummaging through what looked like a cookie box full of medical supplies. She wrapped her thick hair at the nape of her neck and turned back to Percy. “Okay. Shirt off and pants, too.”

Percy stared at her.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m a Power. I heal people. But I need to see the injury to do it. Seeing your full body will help me figure out if any of your injuries are internal. I’ll have to get Rachel in here if they are.”

Percy still didn’t move. “You’re a Power?” he breathed.

“We all are,” Jason said, looking surprised. He leaned against the counter and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. Percy noticed that it was well-defined under Jason’s thin, ratty T-shirt. “That’s the point of being refugees,” Jason went on before Percy could stop himself from staring. “By the way,” Jason said as Percy reached for the bottom of his shirt. Jason turned to leave and said over his shoulder, “Welcome to Camp Jupiter.”

“Camp Jupiter?” Percy said to Hazel when Jason was gone, and he had stripped. He felt incredibly naked standing before this young girl in nothing but his shoes and his boxers, but she didn’t seem bothered in the least. She didn’t even seem to notice that his clothes were gone.

She was already studying his bruised and scarred torso with cold, light fingers. “That’s us. Camp Half-Blood was out here, too, but when their leader, Chiron, died, Jason took over. It all became one camp. Arms above your head, please.”

Percy did as she asked. Hazel placed both her hands on his protruding rib cage, pressing lightly. He hissed in pain and she murmured, “Broken ribs. Okay, deep breath.” Without waiting for him to take said breath, Hazel pressed even harder.

Percy’s skin burned for what felt like forever before Hazel pulled her hands away. When Percy looked down, he was shocked to see that the bruises indicating his broken ribs had completely vanished. He took in a slow, cautious breath and was relieved to find that his chest no longer ached every time he inhaled or exhaled. “You healed me,” he said.

“You have a fractured toe,” Hazel told him, now on her knees before him. She took one of his feet in her hand and slipped his shoe and sock off easily. “Deep breath.”

This went on for almost an hour by Percy’s estimate. Eventually, Hazel told him he could put his shirt and pants back on. At some point during the process, Jason had stepped back into the kitchen with the girl Percy had seen tackle the bounty hunter. They kept their backs to Percy and Hazel, speaking quietly as they studied something on the girl, Piper’s phone.

“You’re all good,” Hazel said to Percy. “Try not to do anything too hardcore for a day or two. It’s to let the repairs set fully.”

Jason turned to face them when Hazel spoke. “Percy,” he said. “Meet Piper. Piper, this is Percy.”

Piper smiled kindly at Percy, her brown eyes shining. If he didn’t know any better, she could have been a normal teenage girl. But the knife at her side, splattered with red, was a bit of a giveaway. “You’re welcome,” Piper said. “For getting you out of there alive. What did you do to piss Athena off so much, anyway?”

Percy blinked. “Who?”

“The bounty hunter,” Jason answered. “Her codename is Athena. She hasn’t hunted a single other Power after finding you. You’re her only target.”

“Makes him a real good fit here, then,” another voice said before any of them could speak. There was a tall, skinny girl with spiky black hair at the kitchen door. She eyed Percy with a look of vague disapproval. He noticed that her eyes were the same, electric blue shade as Jason’s were. “Another lost puppy, little brother?”

“Percy, meet Thalia,” Jason said. “Thalia,” he added, his voice edged with a warning. “Meet Percy. We rescued him from Athena today.”

“I know who he is,” Thalia said before Percy could speak. “The water boy.”

Hazel’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Water?”

“It’s my power,” Percy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can control water. I don’t know why or how, but… it’s been that way since I was twelve.” He shrugged. “It’s never really been helpful while I’ve been on the run. Only thing it does is help me swim away from… Athena.” The name tasted unfamiliar on his tongue. He had spent so long thinking of the bounty hunter as just that: the bounty hunter.

Piper pursed her lips. “We’ve never had a Power who can control water before.”

“You probably haven’t had much training,” Jason guessed.

“Yeah, try none,” Percy said.

“Well,” Jason said, rubbing his hands together. “No time like the present. Come on. We’ll get you a sword, too.” He paused to kiss Piper twice before walking over to the kitchen door. “See you later, Pipes.”

“See you,” Piper said as Percy followed Jason out of the townhouse. To his surprise, Thalia was right on his heels.

“I like seeing the newbies see Jason’s powers for the first time,” she said when she caught his eye. She grinned. “I wasn’t lucky enough to get his powers. I can only whip the winds around a bit.”

“What’s your power?” Percy asked Jason.

Jason smiled. He stopped walking in the middle of the street. “Step back,” he warned. Percy let Thalia pull him back a few paces as Jason closed his eyes, stretching one hand upwards to the sky.

Above them, the clouds began to darken. They sped across the formerly clear sky, gathering directly above Jason. The wind was whipping Percy’s hair into his eyes, forcing him to hold it back with one hand as he stared at Jason. Jason’s eyes were wide open, bright blue in the dimming world around them. Percy swore he could see electricity crackling within them. Before he could say anything, the sky boomed with thunder. Percy was absolutely blinded for several seconds as lightning started flashing against the storm clouds like a rapid fire, each bolt following the other in quick succession.

“There it is,” Thalia said with a smirk as she watched Percy’s face.

“You can control lightning? The weather?” Percy demanded as Jason’s eyes cleared. The thunder and lightning stopped when he lowered his hand. The clouds drifted away, too, turning lighter with each second.

Jason shrugged, his face slightly pink. “I’ve been practicing since I was four,” he said quietly. “That was when I got dropped off at Camp Jupiter.”

“Never figured out who our parents were,” Thalia said, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a crease between her eyebrows now that hadn’t been there before. “All we know is they knew how to find this place. No one heard from them again.” She shook her head. “I was only eleven. They left me at Camp Half-Blood – didn’t even bother keeping me with Jason. By the time I realized our parents weren’t coming back, it was too late to ask anyone any questions. Everyone was dead.”

“That’s the thing about Powers, Percy,” Jason said. “They don’t live nearly as long as you might want.”

\--

Two years later, Percy was leading what felt like his hundredth recon mission into the city of New York. His time at Camp Jupiter had been good for him. Percy had forged bonds with Jason, Piper, and Thalia that meant more to him than he had expected. He’d never expected to be lucky enough to make even a semblance of a friend in his life on the run, let alone finding the kind of family that now waited for him back home. He’d been Jason’s second-in-command for over a year now. Percy finally had a place in his own life. He was _somebody_. More than just a runaway Power.

“I don’t like this,” Frank muttered from behind Percy, his voice crackling through their comm systems.

“You’re doing fine,” Piper’s voice replied. “Surveillance footage puts Leo and Reyna right by your location as of last night. They’re still alive, which means we can still save them.”

“Come on,” Percy murmured, trying not to let his hand twitch to the ballpoint pen in his pocket. He walked down the crowded New York streets with Frank at his side, eyeing sale signs in shop windows in what he hoped was a casual manner. “We’re just here to see if they’re actually okay. If they are, great. We leave and we come back with a full team. If they’re not, then we leave with alcohol.”

“ _Lots_ of alcohol,” Piper added.

Frank’s bulky body made passing through the crowded streets easier than if Percy had been alone. Despite his time with Camp Jupiter, he still hadn’t built up as much muscle as Jason or even Piper. But that was okay. Percy had a runner’s body; lean and slim. He was alive – still. That was all he had room for.

“Moving into the alleyway,” Frank murmured into their earpieces. He’d only been with Camp Jupiter for a few months, but he was already picking the skills up faster than Percy had. Percy could still remember finding Frank, huddling at the bottom of a well, staring up at them with wide, fearful eyes. He’d been left for dead by bounty hunters when they hadn’t been able to figure out what kind of Power he was.

“Initiate shifting,” Piper said. Percy leaned against the wall outside the alley and pulled his phone out of his pocket, trying to look like he was passing time or just hanging out. Anything except a dangerous infidel trying to rescue two more infidels.

He peeked over his shoulder into the corridor and saw a large, fat rat clambering up the drainpipe of the building. “He’s gone,” he murmured to Piper. “Shift confirmed.”

“Take a walk around the block, Percy,” Jason’s voice said. “See if you can find any clues about what kind of place Leo and Reyna are hiding in.”

Percy pressed the phone to his ear as he walked. “How do we know they’re hiding? Maybe they’re slaves.”

“All the more reason to free them,” Piper said determinedly.

“I have eyes on Frank.” That was Nico di Angelo, their surveillance expert. He was new and he was _jumpy_. When Percy and Jason found him six months ago, he’d almost killed Jason. Getting Jason back to Camp Jupiter with Nico unconscious and bound in the backseat of the car had been the scariest two hours of Percy’s life.

“Percy, someone’s following you,” Jason said. “Laugh. Loud. Try to act… normal. Human.”

“Just don’t be yourself,” Nico added.

Percy threw his head back and laughed loudly into his phone. “Tell me you’re joking,” he said, plastering a wide grin on his face. Percy glanced at his reflection as he passed a large storefront window.

He was, indeed, being followed. There was a girl walking directly behind him, her eyes fixed on the back of his head. Her hands were shoved deep into the pocket of her sweatshirt. Percy could see the glint of a gun.

“That’s a load of bull,” Percy cried into his phone. _She’s loaded._

“No sign of Frank yet,” Piper said tersely. “Just keep walking, Percy.”

“I told you guys we should have dyed his hair red,” Thalia commented.

“Thalia, this is a mission frequency,” Jason protested. “What are you doing?”

“Guns are my speciality, Jason,” Thalia reminded him. “Percy, what can you tell me about her? The surveillance isn’t clear enough. She knows how to keep her face away from the camera.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” Percy said, fighting back more forced laughter. _No intel. Too risky._

“Frank’s back.” Piper’s voice was full of relief. “Turn around, Percy. Get back to the car.”

“Okay, okay. I’m on my way to the car now. I thought we were meeting somewhere else,” Percy babbled as he turned on his heel and made his way back the way he had come. He clearly took his pursuer by surprise, because she froze on the spot. As Percy brushed past her, though, he caught a glimpse of bright, yellow curls hidden under a Yankees baseball cap. And eyes as grey as an oncoming storm.

“I found them,” Frank’s voice came through before Percy could stop to stare at the girl. “They weren’t actually there, but it’s clear that someone’s been using the attic of one of the shops as a base. Old clothes, food wrappers, the works. They’re hiding out there. No communication methods as far as I could see.”

“Get back to camp,” Jason ordered.

“Nico,” Percy said in a low voice. “The girl that was following me. Is she still looking?”

“Yeah,” Nico replied. “I can see her face now. It’s grainy, but it’s there.”

“Get me a picture.” Percy unlocked his car just as Frank slipped back out of the alley. He slid into the car and started the engine, his eyes on the girl standing behind the car. He could see her in the mirror. “Run it by Jason.”

“What are you doing, Perce?” Jason said.

“Look at her. The hair. Tell me it isn’t Athena.”

Frank froze as he was putting on his seatbelt. “Did you just say Athena?”

“Percy, she’s been off the grid for months,” Piper reminded him.

“We haven’t heard from her since we brought you in,” Thalia agreed.

“Yeah, because she couldn’t find him,” Jason said. “I’m looking at the photo now. It’s her. Percy, Frank, get back here. Get back here _now_. You need to-”

Jason’s voice vanished in a rush of static. Frank winced and popped his earpiece out of his ear, yanking Percy’s wire out for him as he was driving. “What just happened?” Frank demanded.

“Look behind us,” Percy said, not daring to take his eyes off the road. “Is there a silver motorcycle following us?”

Frank turned. “Oh, no. Oh, no,” he moaned.

“Get your arrows ready.” Percy jammed his thumb into the call button on his steering wheel. He swore when nothing but static came through. “She’s blocking our communications. Open the sunroof, Frank.”

Frank maneuvered himself carefully as Percy drove. He slid the sunroof open slowly and lifted his crossbow, peeking out over the top of the car. They were out of the crowded streets now and they were barreling through side streets towards the freeway. Percy’s heart was racing in his chest, but he did his best to keep his eyes on the road and not on Frank or Athena behind them.

“Can’t get a shot,” Frank muttered. “She’s too fast.” Then he shouted, “Duck!” as he fired his first arrow.

Percy ducked. The car swerved under him just as a gunshot sounded in the air. When Percy looked up again, there was a large crack in his windshield. He shuddered and pressed down on the gas, letting the engine scream in protest as he flung them onto the freeway. “Frank,” he growled through gritted teeth.

“Give me a second,” Frank muttered as he loaded his crossbow once more. “You guys really downplayed how scary this bounty hunter is, you know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for future campfire stories. Shoot her!” Percy’s eyes kept flicking back to the crack in the windshield. It was in the center of the glass, several inches away from where Percy’s head had been. She had missed. She had _really_ missed.

Frank fired another arrow. This time, Percy knew it hit its mark because there was a loud screeching as the bike skidded to a halt. The girl was flung from her ride, skidding along the empty freeway. There was an arrow sticking out of her neck.

Percy slammed on the brakes. Frank screamed as he was jerked around, but Percy paid him no heed as he jumped out of the car. He uncapped his ballpoint pen and let it transform into a gleaming, bronze sword as he strode over to where Athena lay on the asphalt.

“Percy!” Frank shouted.

“You missed,” Percy said, pointing his sword at Athena. She was lying on her side, facing away from him and breathing unevenly.

“You shot me,” she ground out.

“Frank shot you.”

“Frank’s a terrible shot,” she muttered. “Now I’m going to die slowly. If he’d actually hit my carotid, I’d be dead in seconds. Instead, I have to suffer.” She rolled over slowly, grunting in pain and glared up at Percy. Despite his better judgement, he couldn’t stop himself from staring. She was beautiful. Thick, blonde curls and dark grey eyes – eyes that were blazing with hellfire as she glared up at him.

Percy’s sword slid against her throat, light as a feather. “Why me? Why are you only hunting me?”

She coughed into the asphalt. “I was never hunting you,” she managed. “I was just trying to get to you. Before anyone else did.”

Frank sprinted up to Percy’s side, red-faced and panting. He was pointing an arrow directly at Athena’s head. “What are you doing?” he said breathlessly. “She tried to kill you!”

“She missed,” Percy muttered. Athena was now lying motionless on the road before them. Percy put his sword away and bent down, pulling her into his arms carefully. “Drive us back. Try to get in contact with Jason and the others again.”

“We’re not bringing her with us,” Frank said disbelievingly.

“She missed,” Percy repeated. He said nothing else as he went back to the car with Athena the bounty hunter bleeding in his arms.

\--

“You must be insane,” Jason said. He was leaning against the doorway to Percy’s bedroom. His eyes were on Percy’s bed, where Athena’s motionless body was laying. “I passed Hazel on the stairs,” he added, coming to sit beside Percy on the floor of his bedroom. “She said she’ll be fine. Frank shot deep, but Hazel’s confident.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go get Leo and Reyna?” Percy murmured. He was leaning against his bedroom wall, staring at the blood on his clothes and on his hands. His sword was unsheathed beside him.

“Piper’s leading the op.” Jason bumped Percy’s shoulder with his own gently. “Seriously. Are you insane? You brought a bounty hunter to Camp Jupiter, Percy. To our house. I don’t know if I’m more pissed as your leader, your friend, or your roommate.”

Percy sighed. “She has answers,” he muttered. “I want them.”

“And if she ends up trying to kill us?” Jason murmured, his head falling back against Percy’s wall. “Did you really think this through?”

Percy looked at Athena’s blonde hair, curly and messy, and pressed into his pillows. She was breathing evenly – almost like she was doing nothing except sleeping.

“No,” Percy admitted after a moment. “But she missed, Jason. She’s never missed before. I can’t tell you how many times she’s gotten me in the past. But today she just… missed? Shot the windshield instead of me _or_ Frank. That has to mean something. Not to mention the fact that she’s only ever been hunting me, according to you guys.”

“Nico thinks we should kill her.” Jason pursed his lips. “Thalia thinks we should try to get information out of her. Figure out why she was after you for so long. Why she was hunting you like that.”

“She said she was never hunting me to begin with. She was trying to get to me before anyone else did,” Percy said, echoing her words from before.

Jason frowned. “Then I agree with Thalia. We need more information.” He eyed Percy. “You recognized her by just her hair.”

“She chased me all across the country for months. I recognized it.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “But you… you have this look on your face. I’ve never seen you look like this. Not since you joined the Resistance. And I look at your face every single day. Sometimes all night when we have longer missions.”

“What’s your point?” Percy asked.

“I don’t have one. I’m just saying, there’s something different about you. About her. About you and her.”

“Please tell me you’re not trying to set me up right now, Jason. Rachel was more than enough.”

Jason grunted. “I only do it because Piper worries about you.”

“Well, I’m fine.”

“You have an assassin tied to your bed.”

Percy punched him. Jason howled and Percy found himself laughing as he fought off Jason’s next kick. They traded blows like kids for several minutes, snorting and hissing with laughter. Percy almost forgot about the “assassin tied to his bed” until a very soft, quiet cough came from the other side of his room. He froze with his arm around Jason’s waist, forgetting all about pinning the other boy to the ground. Percy looked up and stared at the girl.

“What are you doing?” Athena said, staring at them.

Percy let go of Jason instantly. “Nothing. What are _you_ doing?” he blurted.

“Picking my way out of these handcuffs. And… done.” She sat up in his bed and held up her freed wrists with a blank expression on her face. Percy and Jason didn’t move as she pressed her fingers to the bandages Hazel had wrapped around her neck. She frowned. “Where am I?”

“Somewhere safe,” was all Jason said. His hand was resting on the hilt of his sword.

Athena’s eyes narrowed when they landed on him. “Jason Grace. I recognize that scar. If you’re him… then this must be the Resistance.” She raised her eyebrows. “Lucky me.”

“I saved you,” Percy said.

“I didn’t need saving. Your friend’s a lousy shot,” she reminded him. Athena got to her feet and Jason drew his sword in a golden blur. She raised her hands and stared at him. “I only want to stretch my legs,” she said slowly. “You don’t have to pull your weapons out.”

“I don’t trust you,” Jason said. “Athena has a pretty bad rep around here.”

Her lips twitched. Was she smiling? “Athena? Is that what you call me?”

“Do you have another name?” Percy asked, wishing Jason would lower his sword.

“Annabeth.” She brushed some of her curls out of her eyes and looked at Percy. His stomach started doing increasingly advanced acrobatics as their gazes held. “Annabeth Chase. And I need your help.”

As Percy stared at her, her eyes started to glow. Silver irises stared back at him as Annabeth trembled, her face pale. Her eyes glowed brighter as she said, “I can read minds. I know what you’re going to do before you do it. I…”

“You’re a Power,” Jason said, mystified.

“You’re a bounty hunter,” Percy said, his heart pounding.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were no longer glowing. They just looked sad and full of pain. “I was never a bounty hunter. I was only trying to get you on my side. I was trying to get you somewhere safe. It’s called Camp Half-Blood. I grew up there. And when we heard about you, a Power that can control the water, running around the country… we had to get to you. They sent me. I haven’t been back since I was sent out to find you.”

“Annabeth…” Her name was warm and comforting on his tongue. Percy kept his tone as gentle as he could. “Camp Half-Blood doesn’t exist anymore.”

Jason shifted uneasily. “We merged a while ago,” he said slowly. “When Chiron died, I took over. I made it all Camp Jupiter.”

Annabeth was trembling again. “No,” she whispered. “No, it can’t be true. Chiron isn’t dead. He can’t be dead. Camp Half-Blood isn’t… No!” Her eyes were glowing again. The items in Percy’s bedroom began to shake as Annabeth’s hands twisted around the comforter on his bed. “No!” she screamed.

“Get Hazel,” Percy said to Jason. Jason didn’t hesitate as he ran out of Percy’s room, sprinting down the stairs. Percy waited until the front door slammed shut before he took a cautious step towards Annabeth. Percy held his hands up to her and said, “Annabeth, you need to calm down.”

“I can hear your thoughts,” she gasped, tears streaming down her face. “I can hear everyone’s thoughts. There are so many people here. Why are there so many people?” she screamed. She pressed her hands over her ears and sobbed. “Make it stop. Make it stop!”

_She’s losing control_ , Percy realized.

When Percy had first begun training as a Power with Jason and the others at Camp Jupiter, there had been only one way to calm him down if he ever lost control. Percy had no idea if it would work with Annabeth now, but he knew he had to try. The glass in his bedroom window was starting to crack as Annabeth continued to sob. Percy was beginning to worry that she would bring the whole house down.

He lunged forward and grabbed her wrists. Percy dragged Annabeth into his bathroom, ignoring her screaming and pleading. He pressed his fingers into her pulse point as he pushed her into his shower. Percy slammed the door shut, holding it in place so she couldn’t get out.

“Breathe,” he told her as he pushed his mind to the knob of the shower. The water began pouring down from the ceiling, soaking Annabeth to the bone. She continued to shudder and cry. Behind him, Percy could hear Jason and Hazel’s raised voices in the house. “Annabeth,” Percy called. “Look at me. Just breathe, okay?”

He pressed his hand to the glass door, trying to catch her eye. When he did, he saw that her eyes were still glowing. Slowly, shakily, Annabeth lifted a hand and pressed it against Percy’s on the other side of the glass. Though her eyes were still burning silver, her breathing began to ease.

_This is the only thing that helped me when I used to lose control of my powers_ , Percy said, trying to give her only one mind to read. _Focus on my voice. Ignore the others. Just listen to me._

He watched Annabeth nod shakily.

_When Jason and the others first tried getting me to train, I almost flooded the entire camp. They had to douse me with cold water every time I lost control to jerk me out of it._ Percy let the water grow warmer, slowly. _I know what it’s like to feel like you’re alone. But you’re not alone here. There’s someone here from Camp Half-Blood. Her name is Thalia._

“Thalia?” Annabeth croaked, her voice echoing in the bathroom.

“You know her?” Percy murmured.

Annabeth’s eyes started to dim. “I thought she was dead,” she whispered. “She went looking for her parents and never came back.”

Percy pulled his hands away from the shower door. Annabeth stumbled out and fell into his arms. He didn’t know if she meant to or not, but he held her close anyway. Percy leeched the water from her hair and clothes as she breathed raggedly into his shirt. “She did come back,” he murmured. “And so did you.” 

“I’m not alone,” Annabeth said.

“No,” Percy whispered. “You’re not alone anymore.”


End file.
